Sacked Wescom chief denies deal with China

MANILA, Philippines — The former commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (AFP-Wescom)  has denied entering into any agreement with China involving the dispute in the West Philippine Sea.

During yesterday’s hearing of the Senate committee on national defense and security, peace, unification and reconciliation, Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos condemned the alleged wiretapping of his conversation with a Chinese embassy military attaché.

The Chinese embassy neither responded nor sent any representative to the Senate committee hearing – chaired by Senate Pro-Tempore
Jinggoy Estrada – investigating the alleged wiretapping of a ranking AFP official.

The Senate secretariat had sent an invitation, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on May 21, to the embassy and AFP-Wescom as the panel investigated a supposed conversation between Carlos and a Chinese official on a “new model” to de-escalate tensions.

Carlos maintained that he has no authority to enter into agreement with any country and that his main mandate is to conduct operations in the West Philippine Sea to ensure territorial integrity and that sovereign rights are protected.

“First, I admit I had a casual and informal conversation with the Chinese military attaché but I condemned the act of the Chinese embassy to record our conversation without my consent, much more to divulge it to the public in malicious twist and manipulation in order to appear that our discussion to be supportive of the narrative of PRC. I am not authorized to enter into agreements,” Carlos added.

“We did not discuss the ‘new model.’ We did not discuss the term. ‘Common understanding’ and ‘new model’ were not part of our conversation,” he said.

“I have not given up our sovereign rights and entitlement. I am a soldier for the Filipino people and I remain a loyal servant of the Republic,” Carlos told the Senate panel.

Carlos recalled that last January, Colonel Li of the Chinese military called him on the phone while he was aboard a ship in the West Philippine Sea. The conversation lasted three to five minutes.

“As the WesCom commander, I have done my very best to provide for the welfare of WesCom personnel. I did